Boston beats Chicago to win Stanley Cup in video game simulation

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Boston beats Chicago to win Stanley Cup in video game simulation

The Boston Bruins have ended their 37-year Stanley Cup drought - at least, in the video game realm.

The Bruins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in six games to win the Stanley Cup in EA Sports' annual simulation of the 2009 NHL post-season. The simulation was conducted on the NHL 09 video game, which is made in Burnaby, B.C.

The simulation saw the Bruins advance to the final - their first since 1990 - by beating the Montreal Canadiens in six games in the opening round, upending the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in round two and edging the Washington Capitals in seven games in a thrilling Eastern Conference final.

The Blackhawks advanced to their first Stanley Cup final since 1992 by beating the Calgary Flames 4-2 in round one, knocking off the Vancouver Canucks in six games in round two and upsetting the top-seeded San Jose Sharks in seven games in the Western Conference final.

The biggest upset of the simulation came in round one, when the defending-champion Detroit Red Wings were beaten in seven games by the Columbus Blue Jackets, making their playoff debut.

In other first-round matchups, the Capitals got past the New York Rangers 4-2, Pittsburgh knocked off Philadelphia 4-3, Carolina downed New Jersey 4-2, San Jose ousted Anaheim 4-2 and Vancouver beat St. Louis 4-2.

In the other second-round series, Washington shaded Pittsburgh 4-3 and San Jose cruised past Columbus 4-1.

The NHL 09 simulation uses real-life data from each team, such as player ratings and line combinations, and includes variances such as injuries and hot streaks.